January 4, 2016
The SmartStack is a converged infrastructure solution that brings together two of the most dynamic names in the technology industry: Cisco Systems and Nimble Storage. Mindsight would like the opportunity to explain some of the benefits the SmartStack can provide your organization.
The Cisco Nimble SmartStack and Converged Infrastructure
Converged infrastructure offers IT directors a proven way to deploy a new or expand upon an existing data center without the risk normally associated with such endeavors. It ensures that all hardware involved will integrate and be compatible right out of the box.
This becomes all the more attractive when two companies employ some of their flagship products together. The SmartStack combines Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), Nexus switching, and Nimble Storage into a true data-center-in-a-box solution. It’s ready to deploy and ready to handle a 21st century workload.
To further prove its efficacy, Cisco has labeled it as a Validated Design. In order to achieve this denomination, a team of Cisco engineers tested and analyzed the solution thoroughly. Once complete, the engineers created a design guide of best practices, which includes an outline of all the hardware involved.
SmartStack Solutions Benefits
- Scalability: It’s the question asked before any major technology decision. Is it scalable? When designing the SmartStack, Cisco and Nimble took this concern to heart. The SmartStack utilizes a modular design, which allows IT directors to scale compute, storage performance, and storage capacity independently. Expand only where and when you need it.
- Cache-Accelerated Sequential Layout (CASL): Nimble CASL is a major reason for the storage startup’s meteoric rise over the past three years. It brings the best of both flash and disk storage together into a new approach. Nimble CASL can expand traditional flash storage space by 30-75% without impacting performance.
- InfoSight: Knowledge is power, and InfoSight supplies an IT director with both a data analysis engine as well as proactive alerts for system health. With this information in hand, owners of the Cisco Nimble SmartStack have the opportunity to pre-empt performance or latency issues. From there, they can properly plan for storage resource expansion.
Question? Ask Mindsight.
The SmartStack substantially reduces the deployment, integration, and calibration time usually found in data center design, while packing all the power and capacity necessary to support key applications. Contact Mindsight if you have any questions or would like to discuss the benefits of SmartStack for your environment.
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About Mindsight
Mindsight, a Chicago IT consultancy and services provider, is an extension of your team. Our culture is built on transparency and trust, and our team is made up of extraordinary people – the kinds of people you would hire. We’ve always prided ourselves in delivering the full spectrum of IT services and solutions, from design and implementation to support and management. Our highly-certified engineers and process-oriented excellence have certainly been key to our success. But what really sets us apart is our straightforward and honest approach to every conversation, whether it is for a local business or global enterprise. Our customers rely on our thought leadership, responsiveness, and dedication to solving their toughest technology challenges.
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